The Witch's Return
by EllenandViola
Summary: ****SPOILERS AHEAD**** Proceed at own risk, stuff like that owo. Just a sequel I co-wrote wrote for "The Witch's House", which I don't own in any way (it'd be weird if I did tho ouo). So yeah! It's not the best but y'know...read it if you want.
1. Prolouge

_"Viola...will you switch bodies with me? Just for a day?"_

_"E-Ellen...okay..."_

I didn't know you had lied to me.

I didn't know you weren't going to give it back.

And when you ran from the room...you left me to die.

_"AHAHAHA! If it meant so much to you, you shouldn't have given it up! HAHAHAHA!"_

Oh, I know, Ellen.

I didn't mean for this to happen.

I didn't know it would be so bad.

I thought that if you, a seven year old, could deal with it,

then I could.

I only agreed to switch bodies with you...

Because I didn't want what I'd thought to be a lie.

I didn't want to lie to you.

So we switched bodies.

And you told me...

You told me you wouldn't give it back.

It was my body, though.

I shouldn't have had to ask for you to give it back.

_It was mine._

So of course I was going to try and trap you in the house.

Everything you had used to kill people...

Was recreated so you would die.

I still didn't hate you.

I still loved you...

But I wanted my body back more.

I nearly caught you.

You almost died many times.

And when you escaped from the house...and Father found us...

That killed me, Ellen.

Not Father shooting me in the head, twice.

But how he called me a monster.

And how he thought you were me.

But now I can finally get my revenge.

The black cat will do that for me.

He brought me back to life...

In your body.

So watch your back, Ellen.

I will find you...

And I will get my body back.


	2. The Spell

"S-STAY AWAY, MONSTER!"

"Fh...fha...th...dh...dha...di..."

"Viola, stand back!"

_Daddy, no! It's me, Viola!_

I heard the shot before I felt it.

I couldn't do anything.

He shot me in the head.

My own father.

_Ellen...please...give it back..._

"Gh...i...vi..."

Then everything went black.

Blacker than it was before.

But I heard a voice.

It was the cat.

"Nice one, Viola. You let her borrow your body, and this is what happens."

_Shut up._

"I could bring you back to life...if you wanted me to, of course."

"P...p...lea...se..."

_Please._

"Please? Well, since you said the magic word..."

A blinding white light flashed through my vision.

_She's going to die today..._

I opened my eyes...  
And saw a room.

I could see.

_I can see!_

"Ahh...you're awake."

The cat was sitting at the end of the bed.

"What...happened..."

The cat snorted. "You really don't remember? Ellen switched bodies with you, I brought you back to life in her body."

"O...oh. You mean...it worked?"

Then I remembered I could see him.

"It did! Thank you, black cat, thank you!" I leaped out of the bed and grabbed the demon-cat, hugging him.

"Whaf-" His voice was muffled.

I released him, grinning like I'd never smiled before in my life.

Then I caught sight of myself in the mirror.

I gasped.

I had never seen Ellen without her illness, so it was a big shock for me.

My hair was now waist-length and light purple and it had a red bow in it, my eyes were as bright yellow as the moon.

"Wow! Look, I'm really in Ellen's body!"

For some reason, I didn't really mind that Ellen had my body.

I liked this one much more, because now, I was the witch of the forest.

I could control anything and everything contained within it.

And, best of all, I was alive.

_I'm alive!_

The cat showed me around the house.

After I'd tried to trap Ellen in it, the house had been covered in blood. But now it seemed it had gone back to normal.

When we got to the front door, the cat suddenly stopped.

"Why can't we go outside?" I asked.

"Because you'll go back to being legless, eyeless Ellen. The house's magic will only stay with you if you're inside the house. Outside of it, you're pretty much dead. Wait, let me correct myself; you _are _dead."

"But...but I love going outside! And I have to get my body back! Isn't there any spell for it?" I was devastated.

"Nothing that I know of right now. I could have a look for you, but I doubt it. And even if you could go outside, you wouldn't just go charging down to your old house. What would your father think then?"

"True..."

Father would be so surprised if I, in Ellen's old body, came knocking on the door, claiming to be his daughter.

I giggled think about Ellen's reaction.

"And imagine what Ellen would think!"

The cat twitched his whiskers, as if he were amused.

"Well, I'd better be going now. Y'know, cat things to do and such. See ya later...Ellen,"

I smiled.

"my dear witch."


	3. The Witch's Return

I can see with her eyes.  
I can feel with her hands.  
I can walk with her legs.  
I can talk with her mouth.  
I can control the forest with her magic.  
I am the witch of the forest.  
I am Ellen.

After the cat left, I turned away from the entrance, un able to bear looking at it.  
It was so unfair,  
how hard Ellen's life had been.  
I started to understand why she had been so desperate to switch bodies.  
I understood why she had pretended to be my friend.  
But I was still so mad at her.  
I would never, ever lie like that.  
I would never go back on my promise.  
But at least now I can understand her.  
I walked back to her-no, my, room.  
My hand trailed along the walls as I walked.  
I heard the slap of my shoes on the ground.  
Apart from that, it was completely silent.  
It was so peaceful here. Even if I couldn't go outside, it was nice.  
I liked it.  
And I could always create a courtyard.  
Sure, it wouldn't be the same.  
_But I'm the witch now. It doesn't matter._  
Because I can control the forest.  
I could make the bunnies and the birds all wander over to the house if i wanted.  
I could make them do cartwheels.  
I could make them drink tea.  
I could make them attack the hunters,  
but I didn't.  
Thought I didn't agree with the hunters, my father was one.  
I would never hurt him, no matter how much he hurt me.  
Even if he tried to kill me again.  
Because he's my father.  
And I will get my body back.

"MONSTER!"  
He swung the axe at me.  
"N...no! No, Daddy, no! It's me, Viola! Don't hurt me, please! No!"

I woke up, gasping.  
The blankets had fallen off the bed, and I was lying on the floor.  
"N...no..."  
I was still recovering from the dream when the door creaked open.  
"Had a nightmare, eh?"  
It was the cat.  
I sighed.  
"Yes." I admitted.  
"I forgot to mention they come with it. Being brought back to life and all."  
"You...forgot?" I snapped.  
"Yeah, sorry about that."  
I calmed down instantly. He sounded genuinely sorry.  
"It's okay," I stared out the window. "it's not your fault."  
Outside, the moon was in a crescent shape.  
The sky was cloudless, and dotted with millions upon millions of small, shining stars.  
"I just realized how beautiful it is out here. In the forest, I mean." I whispered softly.  
"Hmm. You'll get used to it eventually." The cat snorted, exiting the room.  
I sighed again. Why was he so difficult?  
Could it be...did he miss Ellen? Perhaps he had loved her?  
_Or maybe he just doesn't like me much._  
I shook my head to clear it and went back to bed.  
I closed my eyes, and waited for the dreams to come to me.

"Viola..."  
"Ellen?"  
"Viola...help me..."  
I heard Ellen's voice but I couldn't see her.  
"Ellen, where are you?!"  
"Viola!"  
"Ellen?!"  
I saw nothing. Only blackness.  
"Viola! Please! Help me!"  
I blinked my eyes, trying to get them to adjust, but still, nothing.  
"E-Ellen! I can't see you!"  
I looked down.  
I couldn't see myself either.  
"AAAAAGGHHH!" I screamed.  
"V...Viola...I'm...sorry..."  
"Ellen! Hold on, I'm coming!"  
I tried to move, but found I couldn't.  
"What..."  
Then I realized.  
I woke up.  
"Ellen!" I yelled.  
"Viola?" The cat was sitting on the window sill, staring outside.  
"Ellen! Ellen, where are you? Please come...please..." I glanced around wildly, looking for any sign of her.  
Then I glanced at the mirror...and I remembered.  
"Ellen's not coming back, is she?" I whispered. "She really did leave me to die, didn't she?"  
The black cat looked at me sadly, and nodded.  
But he wasn't sad because of Ellen leaving.  
He was sad for me.  
"Y'know, I never really liked you much, Viola. But I suppose I can't help feeling sorry for you. It wasn't fair, what Ellen did to you. It wasn't fair at all.  
"I wondered if maybe you hated her. After all, you had tried to kill her. But I realized the most heartbreaking thing ever; you still loved her. Even after everything. And now, I've come to admire you, Vio. No body I've ever known could go through everything that you went through and still have hope. For anything."  
"O-oh..." I didn't know what to say.  
"Well, see ya, Vio. Got a few mice running around out there for me, eh?"  
I grinned, shrugging. "Why not?"  
He left the room, his black tail held lightly above his head.  
"What a strange cat," I murmured.


	4. Viola

I had the same dream again.

About hearing Ellen's voice, but not being able to see her.

_I'm sorry I can't save you, Ellen._

They confused me so much, sometimes I wasn't sure what was real and what was fake.

And sometimes I forgot who I was.

That was the bad thing about being able to live again, in someone else's body.

You forget who you really are.

Today I decided to go looking for Ellen.

I cast my senses around the forest, searching for Father's house.

I realized it wasn't part of the forest.

But I still had one advantage.

Ellen didn't know I was alive.

She was sure to come back and take a look at the house at one point.

I shook my head. I seemed to do that a lot these days.

I was kidding myself there was any hope left.

But I didn't care.

It was good to have something, even if it was very small, to hold on to, to stop me ending it all together.

_Are you sure you'll get your body back?_

"Shut up!" I said to my brain.

_I only speak the truth._

I knew it was all in my head.

I still hated it, though.

Somehow it made it all seem so more real.

That I wouldn't get my body back.

"Why did this have to happen to me?" I whispered, crouching on my bed. "What did I ever do to deserve this...?"

"Talking to yourself, eh?"

"Not you!" I sighed.

"Not pleased to see me?" The cat sounded amused. "You're in a bad mood."

"How did you guess?" I said sarcastically.

"Don't blame it on me! I offered, you accepted. You didn't have to agree to come back to life." He tipped his head to the side. "Hey, you really want your body back that much? Well then," he continued when I nodded. "Why not take some else's body? You'd be able to see Ellen again,"

"I-I'm not sure if I want to...would I be able to trust her...?" I muttered, half to myself.

"You trust me, right?" the cat said. "You're so foolish, I'm sure you'd give her a second chance."

"I can't help it...being foolish and all...I just automatically trust people."

"Especially with all the "trusting a demon" thing. You're a strange kid," the cat grinned.

I smiled again, and the cat left the room.

"Viola!"

"Father?!" I called hopefully.

"Viola! I finally found you!" I saw him running towards me.

I looked down at my feet.

I was me.

In my own body.

_I'm me again!_

"V...v...io...la...agh..."

I whipped around.

There she was, dragging herself along the ground, her eyes dripping with blood, her legs just bloody stumps.

"Ellen," I whispered.

"N...nn...o..."

_No?_

"Fh...fha...th...th..."

"He's my father!" I said.

"N...nn..."

"Ellen, he's not your father!"

Ellen dragged herself closer.

"Gh...i...ba..."

_Give it back?_

"H...huh? But this is my body!" I said, confused.

Ellen shook her head.

"Yes it is! Don't you remember?"

Ellen paused.

She nodded.

Then she stood up, her legs now grown back, her eyes back in their sockets.

"Viola, you don't understand."  
She could speak.

I stayed silent.

"My whole life, I've been hated, or unloved, by everyone who met me. I took your body so your father would love me. I took your body because I wanted to be loved." She shook her head. "You'll never understand what it's like," She murmured.

"No, you don't understand, Ellen." I said fiercely. "You _were_ loved."

When Ellen merely looked confused, I continued. "_I_ loved you. That's why _I_ switched bodies with you. I felt sorry for you, yes. But the other reason was because_ I_ _did _love you, and _I_ wanted you to be happy. Ellen, please listen!"

But Ellen had turned away, and started walking into the mist.

"Ellen, wait! I'm sorry! I'm sorry for not understanding!"

But she didn't look back.  
Tears sprang to my eyes as she dissolved into the mist.

When I looked behind me to see if Father was there, he was gone.  
I started to cry.

I was all alone, in the witch's forest.

I woke up, and that's when I saw her.

Walking up to the house was, I'm sure...

A lone girl with golden braids.


	5. The Nightmare

"Ellen!"  
I ran down one, two, three flights of stairs, then stopped.

I couldn't let her see me.

She didn't know I was alive...  
...And she would kill me, for sure.  
So I made the door lock.  
I made the windows pitch black.  
So that when she looked inside, she would see nothing.  
So I sat there, in my bed, my vision of the forest clear in my mind.  
I listened to her speaking. It was very peaceful.  
"My old house..." She muttered.  
_But it's mine now._  
"I miss it,"  
_Too bad. You gave it up._  
"So many memories..."  
She crouched down by a patch of violas I had started growing there.  
My favourite flowers.  
I was named after them.  
"Huh? Since when were these here...?" She muttered.  
_Oops..._  
Then she shrugged. "Oh well, maybe I didn't notice them before."  
She got to her feet, started to walk away, then turned back to the pretty purple flowers, and bowed her head.  
"Viola...I'm sorry. I'm sorry I betrayed you. In the end, you saved me, by switching bodies with me. Poor you. You saved me. You saved me from my sickness. I'm sorry, okay? So please, forgive me."  
She straightened up, and headed for the exit of the forest.  
_Ellen...don't leave..._  
I started to panic.  
Would she come back ever again?  
_Maybe not..._  
I tried to muster the strength to block her path again, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.  
Not Ellen.  
Not anyone.  
I would never do anything awful to anyone...

"Stay away from me!" I shouted, holding the knife above my head.  
"Gh...gh...vi...bh..."  
Ellen was the legless girl again.  
"N...no! Go away!"  
Ellen crawled closer.  
I almost screamed when I saw her eyes.  
I had never seen them this close up.  
They were empty, black pits.  
I felt like if I fell forward, I would be swallowed up by them.  
So I brought the knife down, hard.  
I stabbed her in her head.  
Blood spattered the ground.  
The grass went from a lush, forest green to a crimson carpet of blood.  
The blood kept pouring from the wound I'd made.  
"No! Ellen, I'm sorry!" I screamed, trying to run forwards.  
But something held me back.  
I didn't know what it was.  
I had to stand there and watch as Ellen writhed on the grass madly, like a bug trying to get back on it's legs.  
"ELLEN!"  
It was disgusting. I retched as more blood came out of her eyes.  
I tried to run again, and this time found I could.  
I tried to dodge past Ellen, but my feet slipped on the ground and I landed beside her.  
"V...i...ol...ah..."  
I screamed as her mangled face loomed over me.  
"NO!"  
_I...no...Ellen...!_  
Ellen grabbed the knife from my hand, and stabbed me with it.  
Right in the middle of my chest.  
"AAAAARGHHHHH!"

I sat up in bed, shaking.  
So many nightmares.  
"What's wrong?"  
"E...Ellen...she..."  
I couldn't tell him.  
I never wanted to be reminded of that again.  
"It's okay," The black cat's eyes gleamed in the darkness. "I found a spell to make them stop."  
"R...really?" I asked, my eyes huge.  
"Yes. I'll give them to you for free, because I feel so sorry for you. Wait, no I don't. But I have a steady enough...supply," he grinned.

I tilted my head in confusion, but he merely continued with his sentence.

"But next time you need a favour, you're gonna have to earn it."  
I nodded, too eager to make these nightmares stop.  
"I'll give it to you in the morning. Use it then. Until that happens, go back to sleep."  
He glanced at the sky. "It's 3 am."  
I nodded, and closed my eyes.  
When I woke up the next morning...  
...I screamed again.  
But not because of the nightmares.  
I hadn't dreamed at all.  
But the bed was...  
The bed was covered in blood.


	6. Cute Little Bottle

"AAAAARGHHHHHHH!" I screamed, leaping out of the bed.  
_What's that doing there?_  
I heard soft footsteps outside the room.  
I ran to the door and threw it open.  
"Whah-!"  
I nearly stood on the cat, who leaped back, yowling.  
"There's blood on my bed!" I yelled.  
The cat flattened his fur and he calmly began to clean one of his front paws. "I guessed this would happen," He stared at me with bright yellow eyes.  
"Then why didn't you tell me?"  
"You didn't ask."  
I sighed and turned away from him. "Well...where did it come from?"  
"It's one of the traces of Ellen's old illness. It will happen a bit, one day you might wake up and find you can't see. You might be walking around the house and suddenly not feel your legs, and fall over. I can't stop them. It's part of the whole "being brought back to life" thing."  
I walked over the window and sat down.  
"Why...?"  
The cat joined me. "Why? I don't know why. It's something that'll stay with you forever, until you die. Remember, the only thing that can kill you is despair."  
I glanced at him briefly. "I know. Is that what was in the little bottle Ellen took?"  
"Yup. But Ellen ran off with it after your father shot you in the head.  
I winced. "That's good, right?"  
"Yes and no. Yes because it'll stop you killing yourself, there's only half of it left, and no because...if she finds out you're alive...Ellen'll come and get you, for sure." The cat flicked his tail at me.  
"Oh...so..." I blinked at him. "Can you get it back for me...?"  
"What? Me? A cat? Why don't you go and get it?!" He looked amused.  
"I can't leave this house! I can't even make Ellen come to me!" I said.  
"Well...I could try...but...you'll need to do me a favour."  
I grimaced. _Anything but souls!_  
"I want you to give me one-just one-human soul.  
I groaned. "I can't kill a human! I just can't!"  
"Then I guess you won't be getting that bottle back, will you?" The cat calmly turned away from me and jumped down from the window.  
"Wait! I'll do it!" I said, getting to my feet.  
"You will?" The cat looked hopeful.  
I looked closer and realized how skinny he looked. I didn't know eating souls would affect his host body.  
"Yes, I will. Just one though?"  
The cat smiled. "Yup! But make it quick, I'm hungry."

The cat licked his lips. "Thanks, Vio! You got a good one! So much despair!"  
He was standing over the bloody, beaten body of a middle-aged man.  
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to calm myself.  
_I'll never have to do this again._  
I watched him from the doorway.  
_I wish I could go outside...I'd do anything to be able to smell that fresh, crisp air again._  
If only I could get my body back.  
_Then I'd be able to see father again..._  
I wandered back to my room, tears welling in my eyes.  
I missed him so much.  
When I got to my bed, I threw myself on top of it, wanting to cry forever.  
But I didn't.  
What good would it do?  
Crying wouldn't help me get my body back.  
I sat up, wiping the few tears from my eyes.  
The cat sauntered in, grinning from ear to ear.  
"Okay, Vio, I'll get your precious bottle." He leaped onto the bed and curled up on it, purring.  
"Then why are you sleeping on my bed?" I inquired, amused.  
"Lemme...sleep...first..." He closed his eyes, and fell asleep almost instantly.  
"Okay," I sighed, standing up again.  
I wish it was as easy for me as it was for him.

The cat left the next day.

I watched him leave wistfully, wishing I was able to leave this house.  
_If only I had a genie,_ I thought. _Then I'd be able to wish everything back to normal._  
I was so sick of watching everyone play outside, not being able to join them.  
_"If you go outside, you'll be nothing."  
"But..."  
"No, Viola. You'll die."  
"But...surely there's something? A spell, anything...?"  
"Nope. Nothing."  
"You can't make me able to go outside..."  
"Nope!"  
"But you can bring me back to life...?"  
"Yep!"_  
I ran to the library.  
Maybe reading would clear my head.  
I grabbed a random book off the shelf, and started to turn the pages.  
I didn't realize it until I had read the first sentence.  
It was Ellen's diary.

_I was sick so no one played with me  
My father and my mother didn't love me_

_My father and my mother didn't love me  
So I X them  
I've been in this house ever since_

_Ah...yes...her memories stayed in her body, _I thought, continued to read.

_When I X my father and mother_

_A demon came along and ate the two of them._  
_The demon took me to this forest._  
_It thanked me for the meal and gave me this house._  
_Then I became a witch._  
_The demon said..._  
_If you let me eat more people,_  
_I'll teach you a spell to cure your illness._

_I X all my friends who came in my house after that_  
_They where all eaten by the house_  
_But it wasn't enough._

_I don't like illness_  
_Because it kept me from going outside_  
_Because it made no one love me_

_I know, Ellen. _I knew exactly how she felt.

_Then a girl came over to play_  
_A cute girl with golden braids_

It was written in blood, that bit.

_I didn't X her  
Because she saved me from my sickness  
So I made her my "friend"._

_My sickness was going to kill me_  
_So..._  
_I took her body from her_  
_I lived on in her body_  
_That's fine, right?_  
_Because we're "friends"_

_She gave me her body..._  
_...because we're "friends"_  
_So, today...we should play some more_  
_Right? Viola?_

I felt slightly sick.

_She was sure to hear out my wish._  
_Because she was so kind._  
_Because she was so trusting._  
_When we traded bodies..._  
_Viola, you must have been surprised._  
_My body was falling apart._  
_It hurt all over._  
_I was used to it,_  
_but I suppose you couldn't take it._  
_It must have hurt. You cried in pain._  
_So then I gave you medicine._  
_A throat burning medicine._  
_It made you unable to speak._  
_After all, I didn't want to hear my own screams._  
_Since I lied that it would stop the pain,_  
_of course you would drink it. Heehee._  
_Then I escaped from this room._  
_In the garden, I felt the gentle breeze._  
_Ahh...it was wonderful._  
_Ah, that's right._  
_Before you came, I gouged my eyes out._  
_I cut off my legs._  
_So that Viola, in my body,_  
_would despair as she died._  
_Ahhh...Viola._  
_My dear "friend."_  
_So kind, so charming, so loved._  
_And with all that, so foolish._  
_My dear "friend."_

I stared, horrified, at the words written on the page.  
Ellen...had killed...so many people...  
I shoved the book back on the shelf and raced out of the room.  
The cat was sitting by the front door, the cute little bottle in his jaws.  
"I have it." He said.


	7. Mother

The cat dropped the cute bottle at my feet.  
"Thanks," I said, surprised. "Was it hard to get?"  
"Nope! I just walked in, stole it from your-I mean her, room and walked back out again. I don't think anyone was even home." He paused, looking quite proud of himself.  
"So now what are you gonna do?" He asked.  
"I...don't know. I have no plan...to get my body back, I mean..." I stared at the floor.  
The cat snorted. "Well, if you don't have anything to do, I guess I'll see ya 'round."  
And with that, he padded back out the door.  
I sighed, and turned away, picking the bottle up just before I left.  
"Oh, by the way,"  
I whipped around and saw him peep around the door.  
"Hmm?"  
"If you know what's good for you, stay in your room today."  
I smiled and started to walk back to my room. I knew my way around here so well now, and it had really started to feel like home.  
Even if I couldn't step outside.  
I was halfway up the stairs to my room, when suddenly, I felt an intense pain in my legs-or rather, where they should be.  
I fell to the ground, and tried to stand up again.

I screamed as I fell over again, as there was blood all over the floor and my legs were just stumps.

The cute little bottle clattered to the floor, but it didn't break.  
"Oh no, help!" I yelled.  
But I knew no one would come.  
I writhed around on the floor, blood flowing rapidly from my "legs".  
"Agh...uh...hh..."  
I couldn't speak. Something was blocking my throat.  
Then I saw her.  
I didn't know her, but it was like I did.  
Those memories stayed in Ellen's ruined body.  
Ellen's mother stood over me, her light brown hair swinging just below her shoulders.  
"What has happened to you, Ellen?" She seemed to say, though I couldn't see her lips moving.  
"Im...no...Ell...nn..." I tried to force words out of my wrecked throat.  
_Please, someone help me!_  
I gritted my teeth, and pulled myself towards her.  
At least I could still see.  
"...ggh...hh...el...p...me...gh..."  
_Help me!_  
"What are you?"  
Again, the mother's lips didn't move, but I heard her voice as clearly as if she were speaking directly into my ears.  
"Monster! Get away!"  
The woman began to back away, but before she could get very far, she slipped and fell on blood.  
I gasped, and reached a bloody hand out to her.  
The woman screamed.  
I didn't blame her.  
She thought I was her daughter. Well, I was...in a way...but not her true daughter.  
Her true daughter was Ellen.  
And she didn't know that.  
She wouldn't stop screaming.  
I put my hands over my ears, and closed my eyes.  
She wouldn't stop, she wouldn't stop...  
I started screaming, too.  
_Stopstopstopstop!_  
"GET AWAY FROM ME!"  
_STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOP!_  
The screaming stopped as quickly as it had started.  
I felt my legs again, and the pool of blood vanished.  
I slowly got to my feet...  
And looked around.  
Nothing had changed.  
I grabbed the bottle, put it on a shelf in the medicine room and rushed off to my room and sat down on my bed.  
All I wanted was for this to be over.  
All I wanted was for everything to go back to normal.  
All I wanted was to be me again.  
Me, Viola.  
Not me, Ellen.  
I'm not the witch of the woods.  
I'm not Ellen.  
I'm Viola, a thirteen-year-old girl who loves her father dearly, not a seven-year-old girl who had lived longer than she should have.  
_Are you sure about that?_  
A voice sounded inside my head.  
_Are you sure you're not Ellen? _  
Shut up.  
_You could be, you know._  
No. Never.  
_You could be the the witch of the woods. The witch who lures children into her house..._  
Oh no. Please, stop.  
_And lays traps for them, and kills them._  
No.  
_Oh, I'm sure you are, though._  
No, I'm me, Viola!  
_No, you're Ellen. You're the witch of the woods. _  
No! No, I can't be!  
_You always have been, and always will be._  
I won't! And I'm not! I'm Viola!  
_No you're not. YOU ARE ELLEN._  
"I'm Viola!" I said.  
_Angry? At the truth?_  
"IT'S NOT THE TRUTH! I'M VIOLA!" I screamed, falling to the floor, my hands over my ears.

_You're the witch._

"..."  
The voice faded from my head.  
I looked up.  
It was cloudy outside.  
I could hear the wind blowing.  
I opened the window...  
And looked down.  
It was so far.  
Yet I could see it all like it was right in front of me.  
It was so beautiful...  
...And yet, I couldn't go down and see my wonderful garden.  
The wind blew.  
A girl with wavy black hair was walking up to the house.  
The wind kept blowing.  
_You're the witch..._  
I ran downstairs.  
I threw open the door.  
There she was, waiting for me.  
A girl with long black hair, and bright green eyes.  
The wind blew between us.  
"Hello," she said tentatively.  
I smiled.  
She smiled back.  
Her purple dress blew in the wind.  
It started to rain.  
I held out my hand to her...  
"I'm Ellen," I said.  
She reached her hand forwards...  
The wind was howling.  
"Will you be my friend?" I asked.  
A bad wind blew.  
The girl took my hand.


	8. Outside

The girl was very nice. She seemed a little shy at first, but we became close friends over time.  
She seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say, unlike Ellen, who had always gone on and on about her illness.  
I showed her how I could use magic, and she seemed fascinated rather than scared. I told her I could use magic to make the cat talk. I didn't want to tell her that he was a demon.  
She came to visit me most days. Just like I had visited Ellen. She hadn't told her father about me, just like I hadn't told mine. She was just like I had been in every way.  
I was so tempted to step outside, to taste fresh air again...  
But no, that was never going to happen.  
Not unless...  
_No. I'm not going to think about it. Shut up._  
I decided to push that thought to the back of my mind. I was determined not to think that thought. Ever. But every time the girl left, every time she stepped outside the house...  
Part of me badly wanted to steal her healthy body. I guess that was a desire of Ellen's so strong it had remained in this body, with me.  
She left as the sun set. I told her to be careful on the way back.  
"Of course I will, Ellen! It's just a forest, I'll be fine. It's not as if you're a bad witch, right?" and she laughed as she disappeared from sight, smiling, waving, so happy.  
I've always longed to go outside, I think about it so much.  
But I guess today was the last straw.  
I stretched out my hand...  
As soon as my middle finger passed outside the door frame...  
It crumbled.  
I squeaked, and drew it back quickly.  
"I told you so," the demon was sauntering along the path, tail held high above his head.  
"Shut up," I snapped, holding my hand. It was back to normal again.  
_How strange._  
"So...you gonna take her body, or what?" he asked, hopping onto a tree stump.  
"No!"  
"Why not? You'd get a healthy body, you'd be able to see Ellen again, you'd be able to go outside..."  
"Stop it!" I shrieked. "You've got me all wrong! I'm not like that, I'm not Ellen!"  
The demon grinned. "You sure about that?"  
"Yes, I'm sure!"  
"Why are you yelling? At the end of your tether?"  
He had said exactly the same thing to me right before Ellen and I had switched bodies.  
"I'm _Viola! _I'm not the girl who killed children for her own benefit! I'm not the girl who cut off her own legs and gouged out her eyes so I would despair as I died! I'm not the girl who-"  
"Wants to switch bodies with someone?" the cat finished, looking triumphant.  
"I'm...not sure..." I whispered.  
The cat stopped grinning. "You're not sure?" he had a look of mock-sympathy on his face. "Oh, poor, poor Viola. Doesn't know what to do with her life. Doesn't know how to live as the witch. Doesn't even know the extent of her own powers-"  
I glared at him furiously. "Coward."  
The demon looked very offended. "I am _not _a coward!"  
"Then why are you sitting on that tree stump, where you know I can't get you?"  
The cat started to lick his paw. "Habit," he said.

She didn't visit me the next day. I knew what was going on. I had done exactly the same with Ellen.  
I had stayed away for months, feeling guilty as I thought of her, stuck inside her house, no friends to visit her, no family to care for her...  
_I can't think about that anymore, _I told myself. _No matter how much I regret it I can't stop what happened._  
I got up out of bed and stared at myself in the mirror. It was the same as it always been. Or the same as how Ellen's memories recalled it.  
Long, lilac hair, bright yellow eyes, big red bow...  
Then I saw a glint of golden braids in the mirror. I was staring at me-Viola-again. My eyes, bright green again, my hair, shoulder length and golden, just like it had always been...for me...  
I glanced down at my skirt...but it was still red. Purple hair tumbled past my shoulders. I looked back at the mirror. I was Ellen again.  
_This isn't fair. I have to find a way to get my body back._  
I still don't know what had caused that image of myself to pop up in the mirror. I suppose it was the house's magic showing me what I wanted to see, or perhaps it was teasing me.  
I wandered around the house, bored. I could sympathize with Ellen a lot more now.  
_What to do..._  
Ellen had spent all her time here killing people.  
I wasn't the same.

_Or was I?_  
So I sat down and read a book. So many books, different ones appearing according to my reading level. I read many wonderful books, and if I particularly desired a certain book, it would appear on one of the shelves.  
It was nice being able to sit in the library, in complete silence, getting lost in one of the many worlds the books took me too.  
It didn't last too long though. The girl came over again.  
"Ellen...I'm so sorry!" she said, rushing inside and hugging me fiercely.  
"It's okay," I lied. "It's fine."  
I don't know why I said that. It was a pretty stupid thing to say, especially considering the circumstances, but I said it anyway, as not to worry her.  
"Viola, can I show you something special I found in the forest?" she asked. "You never seem to leave this house, and it's so pretty! Please?"  
She grabbed my hand and started to lead me outside, but I stopped by the front door.  
"Ellen...?" she sounded uncertain.  
"I don't want to go outside..." I breathed.  
"Why not?"  
I felt dizzy. "I...I don't..."  
"E-Ellen...?" she stammered, sounding slightly fearful  
"I..." then I felt my legs disappear from underneath me.  
_Please, not now!_  
I felt my throat close up, as if someone was choking me. My breath rattled as blood covered the floor.  
"Ellen!?" she backed out the door, almost slipping in the blood.  
The stench of it made me sick.  
"N...no...co...me...ba...ack..." I gasped, crawling towards her.  
"S-stay away from me!" she shrieked.  
"P...pl...ease..."  
I wasn't thinking properly. My hand slipped and...my body tumbled out the door...  
I crumbled.


	9. Ellen

I woke up in my bed, staring up at the face of the black cat.  
"Gahhh!" I yelled, pushing him away.  
The cat allowed himself to be shoved off the bed. "What's wrong?" he asked.  
"I-I was j-just outside...a-and m-my hand slipped a-and I...fell...out...the d-door..." I stuttered, hugging myself.  
"Oh, that," the cat flicked his tail. "Yeah, I fixed you."  
"You can do that?" I stared at him, astonished.  
"Yup!" he grinned, showing his sharp white teeth.  
"O-oh..." I wasn't sure what to say.  
The cat twitched his whiskers, as if amused. "So you haven't noticed yet?"  
"N-noticed what?"  
The cat just waved his tail in farewell and exited the room.  
"Wh-what...?" I got out of bed and stared at myself in the mirror. I was Ellen still. Nothing had changed. Nothing but...  
"No!" I screamed, leaping out of bed.  
_My legs! My poor, poor legs!_  
They were covered in bandages. There were gaps in the bandages, and the skin was red and cracked. They felt weird, as if they couldn't support my weight.  
I felt dizzy, and sat back down on the bed to calm myself.  
Then I remembered the girl.  
_I hope she's safe! I have to find her!_  
I closed my eyes and saw the forest. It seemed it was nighttime.  
_She's probably at her house..._  
But something didn't feel right. I knew she wasn't safe. I scanned the forest even closer. It was then that I saw her.  
She was perched on a tree stump, just outside the house.  
Sitting next to her was...  
Ellen.  
_N-no way!_  
I tried to stand, but my legs wouldn't work. I remembered how Ellen had gotten rid of her useless legs, by cutting them off. Thinking about Ellen switching bodies with me, hurting herself so I could feel her pain made me angry. It gave me new strength. I raced out of my room, slowing down when I reached the stairs. I reached the front door, then stopped.  
_I can't go any further._  
I saw her and Ellen talking. I couldn't hear them. Then, I spotted a glint of metal in Ellen's hand.  
_Why does Ellen want to kill her? What has she done?_  
"No!" the words escaped my lips before I could stop them.  
Ellen glanced up, then saw me. Her-no, _my _green eyes narrowed.  
"Viola." she said coldly, getting swiftly to her feet.  
"Wh-what? What's going on? How is she still alive? I thought _you _were Viola?!" the girl followed Ellen, grabbing her wrist.  
"She's not Viola..." I 's Elle-"  
I was cut off by a shrill squeal.  
"Gh-gha-gaaaahhhh!"  
Ellen had spun around and slashed her throat.  
I was speechless with shock.  
_How could this have happened?!_  
Ellen started laughing manically. It didn't look right, especially since it was _my _body.  
Ignoring the voice in my head telling me to stop...I slowly put my foot outside.  
Even though I knew what would happen, I did it anyway. Better to die trying than give up.  
But nothing happened. My bare foot touched the ground...and nothing happened to it.  
I felt soft grass beneath my feet as I moved my other foot out. Soon, I was standing outside, breathing in the fresh, clean air.  
"I did it..." I whispered. "I made it...I'm outside..."  
Ellen stopped laughing. "You were never one to give up easily. You tried to trap me in my own house. But, just like last time...you'll fail."  
I didn't say anything.  
"That demon...I knew he would do _something _to muck it all up. He brought you back to life, yes?"  
I nodded.  
"Ah...I see...he wanted more souls to feed on..."  
"But...he only asked me to kill one person for him..." I said, confused.  
"Oh no, Viola. He's been feeding on souls this whole time."  
And she grinned a terrible grin. The cat padded out from behind a tree, his yellow eyes glowing.  
"I knew you were alive the whole time. I just had to wait for the right moment, so I could make you suffer more as you lived on in my ruined body, unable to leave this place."  
"B-but..." I whispered, unable to believe it. _The cat was just a spy the whole time?_  
"This is my house, Viola. This is the witch's house. I always have been, and always will be, the witch of the forest."  
"Then how can I be outside?" I challenged.  
Ellen glanced briefly at my legs. "It looks like the illness is gone, which means...you would be dead by now, if you weren't a witch. We're finally free of the illness."  
I looked up eagerly, wondering if...  
"Oh no, Viola. I'm going to borrow this body forever, remember? And now...it's time for you to join your dear friend."  
She threw the knife forward, but I dodged it and caught it. "I won't let you hurt anyone ever again, Ellen!" I cried, swinging it forwards and into her chest.  
Blood spattered the grass, turning it to a deep crimson carpet...just like my dream.  
I regretted it instantly. I held in my hand the knife that had killed her. Or maybe I had killed myself, I wasn't sure. What I knew was that I couldn't bring her back. Ellen, my dear friend...was gone.  
The demon disappeared in a flash of blue light. _Coward. _I thought.  
I crouched by Ellen's unmoving body, and gently pulled the knife from her chest.  
Beside Ellen, my other friend lay, motionless, on the ground. Tears poured down my face, trickling onto Ellen's wound and mixing with the blood.  
"I'm sorry, Ellen...I'm so, so sorry. This is all my fault...please forgive me."  
I wanted so desperately to hear her voice, to tell me she forgave me, to tell me that I didn't have to apologize...but still, nothing...  
I buried them both by the patch of violas, as that seemed to be the right thing to do.  
_I'll never forget you, either of you. Ever._  
I didn't know what to do then. My first thought was to continue living in the witch's house, but...I didn't want to.  
I didn't want to live with myself after I'd killed my closest friends.  
_For a witch to die...must she despair?_  
I was in a state of utter despair. I didn't want anyone to ever find this house again...but I didn't want to kill myself. I was stuck.  
"Guess who's back?"  
I whipped around and saw the cat.  
"What are you doing back here?!" I asked, furious.  
"The cat body was dying. I had to find a new one. I would say I'm sorry for everything, but," he smiled. "I'm not one to apologize."  
I sighed and smiled back at him. "I'm too forgiving."  
"Yes, you are," the cat said. "So what now?"  
"I don't know..." I whispered, feeling like I was about to cry.  
"I do." the demon said, waving his tail.  
"What's that?"  
"I can take you to a new place. You can start all over again, and never have to be reminded of what happened here."  
"Really?" I said hopefully.  
"Really," the cat confirmed, nodding.  
I got to my feet.  
People came and went, looking for the missing girls.  
But no one noticed, off in between the trees, a girl and a black cat vanishing as if swallowed up by the darkness.


End file.
